Genealogy Photo Book Project

My grandmother and I embarked on a genealogy project in the fall of 2012. She is 100% Hungarian, which fascinated me. I wanted to preserve as much of our Hungarian heritage as possible, including photographs, recipes, and anecdotes. During the project we found that my great-great-grandfather Janos Harmath immigrated to the US from Hungary through Ellis Island on August 28, 1907. My great-great-grandmother Maria Supek immigrated from Marczalto, Veszprem, Hungary. They were married on January 21, 1911.

I was delighted to find the actual Passenger Ship List for ship Kaiser Wilhem II (pictured) with my great-great-grandfather’s entry. In the page on the right, we have photos of relatives in Hungary that we are unsure of, as well as a photo of my great-great-great-grandfather Louis Martin Adorjan who was a calvary officer in the Hungarian army.

I grew up eating this Nut Roll at each of our holidays. Little did I know that it was the recipe of my great-great-grandmother’s! Pictured on right is my grandmother and great-grandmother in front of their home on Hunky Hill, Coatesville PA. My great-grandfather (whom I never met) worked at Lukens Steel.

Pigs in a Blanket is a common Eastern European dish. I did not know this until I researched it; all I knew was that it tasted great around the holidays! I also wanted to include my great-grandmother’s superstitions, most of which my grandmother says she has gotten over.

This project was not all about preserving our Hungarian Heritage. I also wanted to preserve my grandmother’s cooking. On the left page is her menu for our New Year’s dinner in 2010. Over Easter 2013, I traveled to PA and learned how to bake some of my grandmother’s famous desserts alongside of her. It was such a delightful experience!

more about Amanda Grossman

Amanda L. Grossman is the creator and writer at Frugal Confessions. She covers how to live a frugal decadent life where saving and living in the present are both held in high regard. More specific topics include Amish Finances, budgeting, and this current genealogy project.